[Philip]

The single-bevel "chisel" grind plus the slight concavity on the flat side does have parallels in Dayak mandau blades. (years ago I wrote an intro article on these swords jointly with the late Sherrod V. Anderson MD who had researched them extensively, and he noted that there are strong linguistic and mythological similarities between tribal groups on Taiwan, Luzon, Borneo, and the mountainous parts of mainland SE Asia). Also interesting that the blade's contours resemble that of the typical Tibetan or Bhutanese backsword (or the archaic and early medieval zhibeidao/chokuto blades of China, Korea, and Japan). The inserted edge plate of high-carbon steel is a construction found throughout East Asia.